Our Soldiers

The idealism and faith of Israel's Army.

During the war in Lebanon last summer, while walking in my Jerusalem neighborhood, I ran into a friend whose 20-year-old daughter had been killed in a terrorist attack. The news that morning had reported four more Israeli soldiers dead. When I saw my friend, I paled. "I hope none of your sons are in Lebanon!" I exclaimed. Her family, who had made aliyah from South Africa, had certainly paid more than its share for the right of Jews to live in Israel.

My friend frowned. "Well, Tzvi is almost finished with the army, but my second son is serving now. He wanted to join a combat unit. You know, the law is that when a family has lost a child, the remaining children can't join a combat unit unless both parents sign."

"Well of course you're not going to sign!" I blurted out.

She shook her head. "I really didn't want to sign. But these kids are raised on the ideal of fighting to defend Israel. If I don't let him live out his ideals, he'll resent me for the rest of his life."

"Let him resent you!" I implored, remembering how totally devastated this family had been by their terrible loss.

She shook her head resolutely and tears came to her eyes. "I signed this morning."

Self-Actualization vs.Self-Sacrifice

Much has been written about "Post-Zionism" – the rejection by many Israelis, especially academics and the elite, of the ideal of creating a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. According to the latest statistics from 2006, some 25% of secular Israeli youth who are qualified to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (I.D.F.) avoid serving. Rock star Aviv Geffen, an icon of Israeli pop culture over the last decade, not only refused to do his army stint, but called for other youths to leave the country rather than serve.

What divides post-Zionists from religious Israelis is the value assigned to self-sacrifice for the collective.

Much less is written about those who, like my friend's son, view serving the Jewish nation in the land of Israel as a sacred ideal. While religious Jews constitute a minority of Israel's population, they have become the majority in I.D.F. elite combat units, and a growing proportion of officers comes from their ranks.

On the surface it seems that what divides post-Zionists from religious Israelis is politics and ideology: left vs. right, universalism vs. nationalism. In truth, their most trenchant difference is the value they assign to self-actualization vs. self-sacrifice for the collective. The Jewish ideal of mesirat nefesh refers to giving up what is dear to you. Mesirat nefesh is a continuum from simple dedication (such as giving your time to a worthy cause) to total self-sacrifice (such as giving up your life).

A glowing example of the latter is Major Ro'i Klein. His platoon was inside a building in Lebanon last summer when a Hizbullah terrorist tossed a grenade in the window. Ro'i knew that there was only one way to save his men. He threw himself on the grenade, shouting, "Shema Yisrael," and let his own body absorb the force of the blast, saving everyone else in the room.

The opposite of mesirat nefesh is the "Me first" culture of the West, which has penetrated the discos of Tel Aviv but not the army of Israel. During last summer's war, more reservists showed up to fight than the number called. Not all of them returned.

The Last Five Seconds

Among the Jewish reservists killed in Lebanon was Lieutenant Colonel Emanuel Moreno, age 35. Emanuel and his unit were sent into Lebanon to stop the flow of arms to Hizbullah from Syria and Iran.

When Emanuel's wife and children were sitting shiva for him, a non-religious I.D.F. officer came and recounted a conversation he had had with Emanuel just before they embarked on the helicopter that took them into the war zone.

The two officers were sitting and discussing all the possible eventualities that might occur during the imminent battle, and how they would respond to them. Two weeks before, a Hizbullah missile had hit an I.D.F. helicopter and killed the five soldiers in it. As the officer recounted the conversation:

What would you do if, God forbid, our helicopter is hit by a missile and you have only five seconds left to live?

Emanuel asked me, "What would you do if, God forbid, our helicopter is hit by a missile and you have only five seconds left to live before it explodes?"

I answered him, "I don't know. I guess I'd be very sad and scared. I would close my eyes and wait for it all to be over as fast as possible, with the least pain."

Emanuel thought a moment and said: "What I would do, and that's also what you should do, is say Shema Yisrael."

I looked at him and said, "Okay, say Shema Yisrael, but what good does that do you? Anyway a moment later the helicopter will explode and we'll all die."

Then he answered with a statement that has stayed with me until now, and I believe that it will stay with me my whole life: "If a person has five seconds to live and he believes there's still purpose to his life and is driven by the eternal consequences in the World to Come, then it means that his life has meaning. But if a person has five seconds left to live and he doesn't understand the importance of those last five seconds, then it appears that his entire life had no meaning, because we don't live only to fulfill our physical desires or to just have a good time. Rather, life is one stage on the way to the next."

As Rabbi Noah Weinberg puts it: "If you have nothing you're willing to die for, then you have nothing you're willing to live for."

DIVINE EMISSARY

In his new book, Am Yisrael Chai [Hebrew, published by Todah Tzahal], Reserve Major Moshe Kenan relates a story that gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of the Jewish army at war last summer.

Near the end of the war, in a particularly fierce battle three kilometers into Lebanon, four Israeli soldiers were killed and over 30 wounded. Major Moshe Kenan was the leader of the paratrooper rescue squad that brought the dead and injured and some of the materiel back into Israel. When the operation was over, they realized that they had left behind one dead soldier.

It was Sunday. They had been notified that a ceasefire with Hizbullah would go into effect at 8 AM Monday. They had scarcely 18 hours left to go back into the war zone and retrieve their fallen comrade, as well as the considerable arms and munitions left behind. As Moshe writes:

In the platoon, opinions were divided. Some of the officers held that there was no reason to go back in. Hizbullah was just waiting for the rescue force to return and would fire on it. It was not worth jeopardizing the lives of other soldiers to rescue the materiel and one dead soldier.

But the majority favored the opinion that they had to go back in, no matter what the cost, so that the body wouldn't be captured and the materiel wouldn't fall into the hands of Hizbullah.

In the evening, the decision was made: We're going back in.

Shlomi, the assistant platoon commander, was skeptical about the operation, but Moshe forged ahead with the preparations. He requisitioned and received special night vision equipment, sappers trained to defuse landmines, and a hunting dog to sniff out the body easily and quickly, since they would be under Hizbullah fire throughout the mission.

Late that night, just before setting out, Moshe gathered his soldiers for a briefing. He explained the goal of the operation—to bring back the dead soldier for proper Jewish burial. "About the importance of the operation, there was no need to speak," Moshe recalls. "I could see in the eyes of the pure soldiers the spark of faith."

He concluded the briefing: "We're going in to bring our comrade to Jewish burial. His pure and eternal soul sees and knows your mesirat nefesh (self-sacrifice). We, the nation of Israel, are not afraid of Hizbullah. They are exactly like Amalek, who fought with the Israelites after the Exodus from Egypt..."

Moshe went on to tell how Moses had led the Israelite army to victory. He sat on hill in the battlefield, and when he lifted his hands heavenward, Israel prevailed. When he dropped his hands down, the enemy prevailed.

A skeptic in the platoon asked how Moses' hands could determine the outcome of the battle. Moshe answered that Moses had pointed out to the soldiers, "Look upward to God! The physical battle is important, but in order to win the battle one needs to subjugate the heart to our Father in Heaven. When Israel looked up and subjugated their hearts to God, they won. With God's help, we will go out and we will win."

As they started to move out, they were notified that Hizbullah had been identified in the precise area they were going, and therefore they could not take the dog. A single bark would reveal their whereabouts.

At the border fence, Moshe blessed his soldiers with the Priestly blessing from the Torah.

I am not a kohen, but I felt such strong love for these soldiers. I really felt as though I were blessing my sons on Shabbat night.

I did not think about my family. It's forbidden in war to think about one's family. To me, the soldiers were my children...

Then I took a minute to raise my eyes to Heaven and prayed from the depths of my heart, "Master of the Universe, please prove to all the soldiers of the platoon that you love us. Thank you."

As soon as he took his first steps into Lebanese territory, Moshe saw out of the corner of his eye something run across his path. It was a small, gray cat. The cat hovered close to his boots, despite Moshe's attempts to shoo it away. As the platoon marched deeper into Lebanon, the cat accompanied them.

After an hour of movement, their scout noticed two shadowy figures to the east. The platoon hit the ground and pointed their weapons toward the terrorists. Moshe was about to open fire when the cat jumped next to him and brushed him with its tail. Startled, Moshe lost his concentration. By the time he regained it moments later and again prepared to fire, the two shadowy figures were identified as Israeli soldiers.

The cat accompanied them the entire three kilometers to their destination – the hill where the soldier's body lay somewhere in the darkness. Hizbullah fire rained down on the whole area. "We recognized the smell of war on the hill, and from afar we saw the missiles we had left in the area, shining from the dew and the light of the moon."

Shlomi, the assistant platoon commander, sent forces to retrieve the materiel. Then he called to Moshe's rescue force to quickly ascend the hill and find the body. Just then, a Hizbullah missile landed next to the hill. Stalwartly, Moshe's forces made a horizontal line and, treading carefully, started to comb the area.

At one point the soldier on the right of the line said, "Look at this!" They stopped and saw that the cat stood next to an Israeli helmet. Moshe whispered, "Apparently, this is exactly where he fell." They began to search the ground with their hands, but all they found were grenades and shrapnel from the battle. Then Moshe noticed the cat.

The cat stood atop the soldier we'd been searching for.

"Suddenly, from a distance of three meters, we saw the cat trying to drag something. We advanced and saw that the cat stood on the soldier we were searching for."

They removed the body to the bottom of the hill and headed south. During the withdrawal, Moshe radioed his unit: "There's a small cat with us who helped us find exactly what we were looking for. Don't chase it away." When Moshe glanced behind him, the cat had disappeared.

On the way back to the border, one of the officers fell in next to Moshe and whispered to him, "Did you see? The army couldn't help us with a hunting dog, so God sent us a hunting cat."

Fortunate is the army of Israel, that their dedication and self sacrifice draws down miracles from God.

Sara Yoheved Rigler’s all-encompassing online marriage program, “Choose Connection: How to Revive and Rejuvenate Your Marriage” is available to Aish.com readers at a special price. Click here for more info: http://www.jewishworkshops.com/webinars/connection/

About the Author

Sara Yoheved Rigler is a popular international lecturer on subjects of Jewish spirituality. She has given lectures and workshops in Israel, England, France, South Africa, Mexico, Canada, Chile, Panama, and over 35 American cities. She is one of the most popular authors on Aish.com, world’s biggest Judaism website, and is a columnist for Ami Magazine. Sara Yoheved Rigler is the author of five best-sellers: Holy Woman; Lights from Jerusalem; Battle Plans: How to Fight the Yetzer Hara (with Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller); G-d Winked; and Heavenprints . She gives a weekly Marriage Webinar for Jewish Workshops on a spiritual approach to marriage, with hundreds of members throughout the world. She lives in the Old City of Jerusalem. Her newest book, Emunah with Love and Chicken Soup, the story of Henny Machlis, the Brooklyn-born girl who became a Jerusalem legend, was was released in November, 2016. Her website is: sararigler.com.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 37

(36)
Sharon,
September 3, 2015 7:46 AM

Compelling

Miracles are all around us daily, we just have to pay attention

(35)
Hr v Helvoirt,
May 23, 2014 9:31 PM

Great story,some of our friends have visiting Israel during the spring,They have visiting all the places of great importance of usBUT THEY WHERE SAVE ,UNDER PROTECTION OF THE I.D.F.AND THE RIGHTFULL YEWISH PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.thank you ,my israely friends

(34)
benyayer joelle esther,
April 15, 2013 10:00 AM

to tsahal the security of israel we jews in the world

well hello shalom to our soldiers we all dream to serve tsahal one day or another i miss some people i know hello to the pilote some are terrific love you joelle esther benyayer

(33)
Anonymous,
April 15, 2013 1:24 AM

Great story. May G-d always send angels to protect Israel'ssoldiers. Love that cat.

(32)
Jeff,
April 12, 2013 11:34 AM

very moving

This article moved me to tears! As long as the soul of Israels armed forces think and act like this, we will always merit Hashems protection!

(31)
Maxine,
April 10, 2013 7:43 AM

wonder

I read this article, and the hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.....what an amazing article...bless all of you..HaShem works in mysterious ways, that is a given..

(30)
Yechiel Shlipshon,
November 30, 2011 8:52 PM

Baruch HaShem for His Love

Never ever think you are alone.
I cried through out the article, and still am. We need to strengthen our resolve, also, to open our hearts more to HaShem; even if all we get out of it is a darn old cat.
Shalom;
Yechiel

(29)
Tiby,
October 7, 2010 1:21 PM

Definitely a beautiful example of the power of following the mitzvot!! Kol hakavod. However we have to recognize the evil of the palestinians.

(28)
Rachel,
September 22, 2008 8:31 PM

Beautiful

What a beauiful story. May Hashem bless the IDF and Israel.

(27)
Yehoshua L,
November 20, 2007 8:49 PM

Question

Im going through your articles and I really love them. They make Judaism very down to earth and palpable.

I do have an question, however, on the story with the platoon that decided to go in to recover the body of their friend. It is indeed an example of noble motivations, but was it the right thing to do? Kavod Hamet is an important mitzva, but are we allowed to risk human life for it?

Once again, I have truly been gaining from your articles. Thank you, YL

Yechiel Shipshon,
November 30, 2011 8:56 PM

Responsibility and Respect

HaShem teches us the two, and the morewepractice, the better life is for the Jew.
Am Yisrael Chi
Shalom;
Yechiel

(26)
Lori Sweet,
June 5, 2007 8:12 PM

I appreciate your sense of the mystical in God's Love.

Dear Yoheved, I deeply appreciate your sense of the mystical ways that God is always there for the faithful. We cannot explain everything with our words or logical thinking because God is ineffable, untranslatable into our limited consciousness, and yet, in this special essay, you gave us a way to experience the all-encompassing Love that God gives to those who act from pure love. Thank you for delivering this particular message to us readers of Aish.Shalom to you and to everyone on Earth.

(25)
imogene clowers,
May 14, 2007 5:04 PM

i think this was wonderful god bless.

(24)
meir,
May 8, 2007 3:49 AM

shalom

how can we jewish of the galut, may thanks to israeli forces for defending our land?? y dont know...we must pray for them in every war, we are with you..Shalom army and brothers of our am kadosh.

(23)
Seth Lefkow,
May 6, 2007 5:42 AM

First time, not the last time.

Just returned from fourth three-week stretch with Sar-El, a program for volunteers with the I.D.F. and visited your site for the first time. Impressive, thoughtful. Will do both again, visit your site and another "hitch" in the I.D.F.

(22)
cvmay,
May 6, 2007 12:27 AM

Great writer, Sara Rigler

Love when she writes about Israeli residents and their love for the land of eretz yisroel

(21)
yehoshua,
May 4, 2007 12:21 AM

heart

this piece touches the heart deeply

(20)
Anonymous,
April 29, 2007 2:57 AM

A most commendable article by Sara Yocheved Rigler.

A few months ago I was thinki it was a pity that someone hasn't done a book documenting specifically events such as this, that have attended each of Israel's wars. With a good introduction , and layout, and nothing else. I suspect there has possibly been something in Hebrew , but maybe never translated into other tongues.So it was very encouraging to see this simply narrated, unembellished edifying account, so timely by Sara.It makes me, a widower, more heedful of Yishai Fleischer's exhortation on Yom Hatzmaut, to the effect that if anyone has a real heart for Aliyah to Israel , make sure you marry someone who also wants to make Aliyah. Most edifying. Toda Rabbah.

(19)
Dennis Cast,
April 28, 2007 7:09 PM

I.D.F.

shalome and best wishes to the I.D.F.

(18)
Anonymous,
April 27, 2007 3:24 PM

wow

God does work in wonderful ways

(17)
Luis,
April 26, 2007 2:43 AM

Eminent Prayer

There isn't a day that goes by that the IDF is not in my thoughts and prayers. I pray for their resolute steadfastness, well-being, forthrightness and success in defending Eretz Yisrael, now and forever.

(16)
Deborah Venatta,
April 25, 2007 12:10 PM

Your stories always bring tears...of satisfaction and joy

I love your writings. Such meaning, purpose and example...and they always bring a tear. In me, when I cry, it is God...

I also want to say that in the USA we battle daily that 'Me First' mentality. I know it looks like we're all having fun. But that fun is so futile and short lived. Instilling that courage of faith in our people is that foundation this Country was founded on.

Thank you Ms. Rigler for your profound writings, it is a gift from God.

Deborah Venatta

(15)
Anonymous,
April 24, 2007 11:00 PM

EXCELLENT STORY

God is so cool.

(14)
Adilson Avelleda,
April 24, 2007 10:16 AM

Wonderful article.

Excellent article. During thirty-five years I worked as an Army officer at my country, Brazil. Now I am retired. But I have always seen Israel Army as the most prepared and efficient military in the world . Congratulations.

(13)
Joel Kenneth Harris,
April 24, 2007 1:03 AM

excellent case

You made an excellent case that America needs God first, obedient believers and a volunteer army. God bless America and Israel.

(12)
jean-luc,
April 23, 2007 11:14 AM

hi,great story,i encourage yr soldiers cos i'm a soldier too,and my community is also at risk cos we had a genocide too in my country,i'm from rwanda.bye

(11)
robert van oss,
April 23, 2007 7:23 AM

That was a great story thank you

You are still GODS chosen

(10)
William Kellner,
April 23, 2007 7:05 AM

At least they die for something!

It is truly horrible when a Jew is killed, but many times more horrible when a Jew is killed because he or she is a Jew. When an Israeli soldier is killed fighting to preserve Israel, his or her death has meaning, as awful as it is. But what is the meaning of death in a boxcar or a gas chamber or a gorge or pit or ghetto?

(9)
Anonymous,
April 23, 2007 3:31 AM

We need more of these articles from the Lebanon war.

Israel did win the war, the orders were to stop and they did or they would have wiped out the enemy clear to Damascus. It was the Arbs yell that they won when our troops stopped in obedience. Then all the other lies that invaded our leaders brought confusion. Sure all people in a war make mistakes, we just learn from them. To say that our soldiers lost was so damaging around the world and gave the world the lie that we are weak. Our soldiers are the only ones where the leaders of a unit say "Follow Me." Joshua 5:13-14 Hashem sends the captain of the Host of the Lord to help lead into battle.

(8)
adele noll,
April 22, 2007 11:50 PM

i read the article and loved it! then i saw your name!

HiSara, what a beautiful story. I just keep thinking,,,is this really true? Amazing. I read it today on yom a zikaron. Thank you so much. you write beautifully. see you soon

(7)
Sarah,
April 22, 2007 8:59 PM

thanks for the inspiration and hope

Thank you so much for your inspiring stories. They reawakened my hope for the Jewish people in Israel and the Israeli army. But even more, thanks for reminding me of the importance of living according to my beliefs, especially when facing the most challenging times in life.

(6)
Sara,
April 22, 2007 4:20 PM

inspiring article

Wow, what an inspiring article

(5)
Anonymous,
April 22, 2007 11:02 AM

I needed this

My son will become a bar mitzva in a few weeks. Since we made aliya people have asked me about his doing army service. I've avoided those conversations. This week we met a man who has fought in many wars including the war of independence ("that was the scariest because we didn't even have guns!"). My son and this old man spoke about army service. Several years more of school, then army service and my son knows it. He faces his future with more courage than me. This article helps me because I know that my son is a thread in the fabric of this great nation, that he is developing the character of these holy soldiers.

May the day come speedily in our time when 'they will beat their swords into plowshears and nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'

(4)
donald,
April 22, 2007 9:38 AM

Baruch HaShem, A Very Touching Story!

B"H

My eyes welled up with tears as I read this very touching story of faith, and love! Faith in HaShem, love for our fellows, love of G-d, and His love for us. It is obvious, that HaShem guided the cat to them, and that the Holy One - Blessed be He - caused the cat to guide them to their fallen fellow Jew (HY"D).

May the Holy One of Israel, send mashiach soon and in our lifetimes, and bare His Holy Arm, thereby driving all of the 'unpruned' from Israel, so that peace will finally come to The Land, (Isaiah 51-52).

(3)
ilana,
April 22, 2007 9:31 AM

That was so awesome!

I have my own cat story from Israel and in Australia. Whoever doesn't believe in the presence of Hashem constantly in our lives certainly should after something like that.That is so amazing.

(2)
C. Siegel,
April 22, 2007 6:55 AM

There Are Worse Things to Die For

Brilliant as usual, Sara. I think your neighbor was right to sign permission for her son to go into a combat unit. If he really feels his place is there, denying him the chance would cause him damage in ways that might not be evident to the eye, but are very real. We teach our kids values, we should not flinch when they choose to live by them. There comes a time when we have to let our "boys" be men. We have to let our girls grow up too, but overprotecting boys is dangerous in a far more insidious way.

(1)
Sharon,
April 22, 2007 5:10 AM

another inspiring article

Thank you dear Sara for another inspiring article, which we so desperately need during these trying times.Do you ever lecture here in Israel? I'm sure there are enough English-speaking locals who would enjoy hearing you, myself included.